Changers
by the go-to guy
Summary: In a world where vampires and humans live side by side, the Changers will turn you into a vampire...for a price. When Changer Moka Akashiya makes client Tsukune Aono her apprentice, they discover that the Changers might not always be what they seem.
1. A new client

This idea came to me, and I just had to go somewhere with it. This is like what, the fourth chaptered story I'm currently working on? I need to update Break from the Ordinary…

XXXXXXXXXXX

**CHANGERS CHAPTER 1**

Moka extracted her fangs from her latest victim, a young teenage girl. "There." She said. "You should start to feel the change in about a day. For your first meal, I would suggest going to the blood bank a few blocks down. Understood?" The girl nodded fiercely, and then ran out of the door behind her without another word. Moka sighed, used to it. In her line of work, even though clients came willingly, she hardly ever got anything other than money, a hello, and a signature that said the patient came to her willingly. It was to be expected; just because they lived in a world where vampires and humans lived side-by-side didn't mean that turning humans into vampires was accepted. It wasn't hard that hard to understand why people did it: compared to vampires, humans weren't all that great. Who didn't want super-speed, super-strength, super everything? Most people were so shallow and desperate that they even overlooked the whole drinking-blood part of it. They were hypocrites, in Moka's eyes. She looked around her "office". It was a dark room, purposefully bear so that it didn't attract too much attention from the authorities. The only pieces of furniture in the room were a table on which the clients lay down on, and a locked filing cabinet which contained all of the contracts for the clients to sign. Moka glanced at her watch. 9:30. The best part about running your own business was that you made your own hours, and Moka decided to take her newest check and spend it all on dinner at the nicest place in town and then take the rest to times square. She adjusted her coat and made for the door. She turned off the lights and opened the door… to see a young man about her age reaching for the handle. They stared at each other for a split second, before Moka spoke up. "Can I help you?" The boy seemed startled, so Moka patiently waited for him to answer.

"A-are you Moka Akashiya?" He finally managed to get out. Moka raised her eyebrow.

"Depends on who's asking."

"I'm a, here for um… a uh…"

"Transformation?" The boy blushed, looked away, and nodded. Moka snorted. It was always amusing when humans wanted to change species but were too afraid to say it. "Do you have the money?" She asked. The boy looked at her and nodded. She sighed. "Fine. One more for today. Come on in." She moved aside and allowed the boy to enter. He looked around, and Moka went to her filing cabinet and pulled out an empty disclaimer. She withdrew a pen from her pocket and handed it to the boy. "Sign here. It says that you came to me of your own free will." The boy took the paper, signed it, and handed it back. Moka glanced at the name the boy had written. "Alright _Tsukune Aono_." Moka said, embellishing the boy's name. "Lie down on the table. This will only take a second."

XXXXXXXXXXX

Moka flipped through the menu at her favorite restaurant, the _Fermon Deharo. _With the last minute addition of that Tsukune kids money, she would be able to splurge even more than she originally planned. The waiter came over to take her order. She gave him an answer, but was surprised when he put a slip on her table before he left. Moka picked it up and read it.

_R U a changer?_

Moka glared at the hastily scribbled note. One of the problems of being a vampire was that everyone automatically assumed that she was a changer. Well, she was, but it was still annoying to have everyone always looking for a quick transformation. Not in the mood to be bothered, Moka wrote down a no and handed it to the waiter when he came around again. She pretended not to notice his deep frown when he read the note.

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

**THE NEXT DAY…**

Moka stretched her arms as she made her way towards her office for another day of helping people reach their superficial dream of becoming a vampire. But, when she got there, she saw someone curled up into a ball leaning against her door. Not in the mood for distractions, she stopped in front of the person with her hands on her hips. "Are you a client or homeless?" No answer. She prodded the person with her foot. "Yo! Are you a client or homeless?" No answer. She prodded the person with more force until she heard a groan from the middle of the ball. "I asked you a question moron." The person lifted their head, and Moka recognized them as the boy who had come last night. "I'm neither." said Tsukune. Moka scoffed and then reached for the door. "They kicked me out." Tsukune said, still in the ball.

"Who did?" Moka asked, not really caring.

"My family." He replied. "They couldn't stand the new me."

"Not my problem Tsukune." Moka said. "The transformation is permanent. You should have thought of that possibility before coming here."

"I did."

"Well then, I guess you had too much faith in your family then."

"They did exactly what I wanted them to do." Tsukune said. This made Moka stop in her tracks halfway through the door. She stepped back outside and stared down at Tsukune.

"Excuse me?" She asked. This was an interesting development.

"I hated it there, they hated vampires, I knew that there was a changer in the area. I did what I had to do. But now I don't have anywhere else to go."

"Then I wish you luck in your new life." Moka said, heading indoors again. It was an interesting start to the morning, but she had to get ready. However, what Tsukune asked next made her stop short.

"Can I work with you?" Moka froze in place. Then, she did the same thing that she did earlier: she walked back outside and faced Tsukune again, who at this point had raised his head so that they were eye-to-eye.

"What?"

"I was wondering if you could teach me to be a changer." Moka went from a bent over position to a full standing one.

"This is the same kid who was afraid to say he wanted a transformation last night?" She asked with a hint of amusement.

"I've been out here all night; I've had a lot of time to practice." Tsukune replied with a lightheartedness that hadn't been there earlier. He smiled a little, too. Moka was unimpressed.

"Sorry, Tsukune. I have enough to worry about without some punk newbie bothering me." She said in a clear attempt to brush him off. But, Tsukune wouldn't take no for an answer. He stood up, and Moka realized that he was taller than her.

"If our places were switched, I would say yes."

Moka examined Tsukune closely. He didn't seem to be very strong, but looks could be deceiving, especially when it came to vampires. His clothes, although plain and rather dirty, were a nice combination of a once-white shirt and brown slacks in addition to a pair of broken-in sneakers. Finally, she looked at his eyes. They were nicely muddled; although enough colour remained that she could see his eyes were chocolate-brown, the red mark of a vampire had started to seep in. She examined him intently for a few minutes, then stepped back.

"You have to listen to everything that I say." Tsukune's eyes widened. Was she saying yes?

"If I ask you to jump, you say how high."

"If I tell you to attack, you attack."

"Basically, you'll be my bitch. Understood?" Tsukune nodded, barely holding back the grin that wanted to blossom on his face.

"Alright then. Come, Tsukune; the rush is about to begin."

As he followed her inside, the smile finally won over Tsukune's attempts to keep it contained.


	2. The inspector

**CHANGERS CHAPTER 2**

The first thing that Tsukune did when he walked Moka's office was look around. He had done the same thing last night, but now he realized that compared to his human senses, these vampire senses were a hundred times better. It was like he was seeing everything in a new light, but since all he had been around for the past 12 hours was an alleyway; he hadn't noticed the changes taking place until now. It was almost overwhelming. "Whoa…" he whispered, awestruck. Moka smiled in amusement. She had never gotten the chance to see one of her clients changing, and she was amused at how this kid seemed to find something amazing with a simple change in senses. Just wait until he feels the other changes: faster, stronger…

The thirst…

Moka shook her head to clear it. She had very little time to show Tsukune how to help before the customers showed up. She snapped her fingers to get his attention. "Oi! Tsukune! Front and center!" It Tsukune responded quickly, rushing in front of her and standing rigor mortis in front of her, arms stiff by his sides.. Moka looked him dead in the eyes and even though Tsukune was taller than her, he felt a shiver go up his spine. She took a key from out of her front pocket. "Give me your hand." She instructed. He complied, and Moka placed the key in his palm. She let go, and Tsukune brought the key up to eye level for a better view. "Tsukune, do you see that filing cabinet over there?" She pointed and Tsukune nodded. "That is the only key to it. I want you to go over there, open the bottom drawer, and tell me what you see." Tsukune did just that. He walked over, unlocked the drawer, opened it, and pulled out the first sheet over paper. He read it, and then turned back towards Moka.

"Is this… a contract?" He asked. Moka nodded.

"Yes. It's the same paper that I made you sign last night: It says that you came here of your own free will and that you release me from any of the repercussions of a transformation." Tsukune gave Moka a confused look.

"Why do you need these?" Moka raised an eyebrow.

"Tsukune, being a changer isn't necessarily legal, but if the police catch me, they can't charge me with anything because of those papers." Tsukune widened his eyes in surprise. He realized that she was right: most of the changers that were caught by the police were sentenced because they couldn't prove that they hadn't changed people of their own free will. With these disclaimers, Moka would probably get away scot-free (or at least a very light sentence) if she was ever caught. Tsukune was impressed.

"That's incredible!" Tsukune praised. "How did you think of that?" Moka's expression darkened and Tsukune's feelings of being impressed quickly turned into feelings of being scared. However, Moka quickly got over it.

"No more questions!" she exclaimed. "For today, just get me a contract and a pen every time a client comes. Got it?" Tsukune nodded just as there was a knock on the door. " Well, here's your first test." Moka made her way over to the door and opened it. However, when she saw who was on the other side, she bit her lip to prevent herself from saying anything that she would regret later. Tsukune, standing on the other side of the room, couldn't see who was at the door, but he was curious as to why Moka wasn't letting them in. He could hear hushed voices, but since his hearing wasn't at vampire standards yet, he didn't understand what was being said. Finally, Moka stepped aside and a short red-haired girl strode in. She walked to the middle of the room and stopped with her hands on her hips. As she looked around, Tsukune had a chance to take in the newcomer. She was shorter than Moka by a good head or so, and she had a much more petite frame. In fact, everything about her seemed somewhat tiny. She had a deep frown on her face, but she was still cute, and Tsukune suspected that she would be even cuter if she smiled. The most confusing part about her, though, was her eyes: they were red, which marked her as a vampire, but her hair was red as well, not silver. As Tsukune pondered this, the women's eyes landed on him and widened in what he assumed was shock. She pivoted towards Moka, whose only action since the girl arrived was to close the door and lock it.

"Who the hell is this?" The girl seethed, pointing a finger at Tsukune angrily.

"That would be Tsukune." Moka said. "My new apprentice." The girl's eyes grew even wider.

"Apprentice!" She exclaimed, turning to face Moka dead-on. "And why did I not hear about this?"

"Because he became my apprentice..." Moka looked at the watch adorning her wrist. "Five minutes ago."

"And when were you going to report this?"

"At the end of the day." Moka looked over the girls shoulder at Tsukune, who was still standing still holding the disclaimer in his hand dumbly for a lack of something better to do. "After I bought him some new clothes."

"And why were you going to buy him the clothes?" The girl snapped. Moka decided to dodge the question.

"Look, I don't understand why you're getting so worked up about this Kokoa, it's not like its breaking the rules or anything. Lots of changers have apprentices."

"Yes, but they sent in a request! And after that request was granted, they picked one of the ones that we offered them! They didn't just decide 'hey, I think I'll get an apprentice today! Oh look, here's a vampire! In fact," at this point, Kokoa whirled around and dashed over to Tsukune with her vampire speed. She completely ignored his personal bubble and got right up in his face, or at least as much as she could when she was more than a little shorter than him. Tsukune looked down, and he saw her face scrunching up as she appeared to be sniffing him. "It's just as I thought! He isn't even a full vampire yet!" She whirled around to face Moka again, almost knocking Tsukune off of his feet. "What were you thinking?" Moka sighed.

"It's a long story. Look, can we just go tell the bosses now? I can close up for the day, we can go to the bosses, get their verdict, and boom! Problem solved!" Kokoa appeared to contemplate this.

"Fine." She said. "But he can't know where we're going." She shoved her thumb behind her at Tsukune. Moka shrugged.

"Wait, where are we going?" Tsukune asked completely lost.

"You'll find out." Kokoa said with a smirk. "But you'll have to take a little nap first!"

Tsukune was about to open his mouth to ask what she meant when she suddenly brought her fist up and punched him in the face, knocking him unconscious.


	3. The Godfather

Okay, so: In the lat chapter, I said bosses, plural. what I MEANT to say was BOSS, singular. sorry for any confusion.

... LIKE A BOSS!

**CHANGERS CHAPTER 3**

Tsukune groaned as he reached a state of conciseness again. Opening his eyes, all he saw was a filthy floor, but it was hard to imagine why until he tilted his head slightly and saw the long silver gleam of Moka's hair and quickly deduced that she was carrying him. It wasn't really surprising; given the fact that Kokoa had knocked him out to prevent him from seeing where they were going. Looking past Moka's head, he could see the short, fiery-tempered vampire leading the way. He was about to speak up to let his two companions know that he was awake and was perfectly capable of walking, but thought again when Kokoa spoke up.

"You realize what will happen to you if the boss says that you have to ditch him right?"

"Yeah, I do." Moka said in a monotone. That caught Tsukune's attention. What could anyone possibly to that was that bad to a vampire?

"So, knowing that what he'll do to you if he says no, which he most likely will, you still took in this loser?"

"Yeah."

"Why?" Moka shrugged.

"The same reason that I took you in all those years ago." Tsukune's eyes widened. Kokoa had been Moka's apprentice at one point? Out of the corner of his eye, Tsukune could see that Kokoa's face had turned a furious shade of red.

"W-why the hell did you have to bring that up?" Kokoa stuttered, clearly thrown off-guard. Moka shrugged.

"To remind you to be fair in your judgments."

Kokoa was silent. The silence continued for a few more minutes, and just as Tsukune was about to speak up again, Kokoa stopped short. "We're here!" she exclaimed. Moka stopped and dropped Tsukune without any decency at all.

"Gah!" Tsukune cried as he toppled to the floor. Moka looked at him as he got to his feet and brushed himself off.

"Naptimes' over, Tsukune! We're here!" she said.

"Where's here?" Tsukune asked. He stood up and looked around. They were clearly in an underground tunnel, but Tsukune realized that there were no lights. _It must be my new vampire senses…_ Tsukune thought to himself as to why he could see. Directly in front of the group was what at first appeared to be a dead-end, but as he looked closer Tsukune could see that there was plain wooden door that was exactly the same colour as the dirt around it. It was nothing special, and Tsukune couldn't figure out why it was there.

"It's a special door that's been laced with magic." Moka said in response to Tsukune's unasked question. "If it senses that you are a vampire, it will open and let you pass n problem. But, if it senses that you're human…" Moka let the sentence hang in the air as Tsukune shivered, his imagination getting the best of him.

Kokoa marched forward and reached for what Tsukune guessed was the handle. She opened the door and stepped back.

"Come on, you two; we have to talk to the boss." Moka and Tsukune walked through the door and into another tunnel. "He's at the end of the road." Kokoa said from behind the duo. "C'mon, he'll have sensed us coming and he doesn't like to be kept waiting." As they made their way forward, Tsukune decided to take the opportunity to ask some questions.

"Who are we going to talk to?" Tsukune whispered to Moka.

"Tsukune, have you ever heard of the Mafia?" Moka asked him.

"Um…yeah." Tsukune answered, not sure where this was going.

"Well, if there's a Mafia for humans, is there any reason why there shouldn't be a Mafia for us vampires as well?" Tsukune felt weird being called a vampire, even though he knew that he shouldn't be; he had made his choice, and that was what he was now. But, Tsukune could see the logic in Moka's line of questioning. He put two and two together.

"So, the guy that we're going to see is like the Godfather?" Moka laughed, and Tsukune blushed. What was funny about what he said?

"In human turns, yes, he is the Godfather." Moka said, still chuckling somewhat. "He's in charge of every illegal activity that goes on in this city. It would be best to stay in his good side." Tsukune filed that information away for later. "Wait, so why do we have to see him? Is getting an apprentice really that big of a deal?" Moka shook her head.

"He wants to know everything that happens in the city, so he makes his lackey, Kokoa," said vampire scoffed indignantly but said nothing, "run rounds every few weeks to make sure everything is okay. It was just bad luck that she showed up today. Since I didn't come to him before making you my apprentice, we have to go see him to get it approved."

"What if he doesn't approve it?" Tsukune asked, almost afraid to know. Moka said nothing, which Tsukune did not take as a good sign.

"Any other questions? Ask me now, we're almost there." Moka said. Tsukune pondered, and he decided to keep the information that Kokoa had once been Moka's apprentice to himself for fear of what the others might do to him if they found out that he was eavesdropping on them. Tsukune shook his head: no, he didn't have any more questions. "Good, because we're here." They had finally reached the end of the tunnel, which opened up into an enormous cavern, at least ten stories tall. It was about ten yards wide, and sitting at a desk on a raised platform five yards in front of them was the godfather. He was dressed in all white cloth, and the only thing that was showing was two gleaming yellow eyes and a creeper smile. Tsukune felt a chill go down his spine, but he didn't know why. The Godfather opened his mouth and began to speak.

"Kokoa, my assistant, who have you brought before me?" he asked. _Geez,_ Tsukune and Moka thought. _Even his voice is creepy!_

"Sir, you remember Moka Akashiya, don't you?" Kokoa asked, stepping forward. The Godfather chuckled.

"Ah yes, Ms. Akashiya. What brings you before me this time?" Moka stepped forward.

"Well sir, I have come to get my new apprentice approved for being a Changer." Moka said with an unwavering voice.

"And why do you want another apprentice, Ms. Akashiya?"

"Why not?" This time, the Godfather laughed.

"Well, it's good to see that you haven't lost any of your attitude. Is your candidate for new apprentice with you?" Moka nodded. "Have him step forward please." Moka gestured and Tsukune complied, walking up to Moka and standing to her right.

"H-hello sir." Tsukune said. The Godfather smiled down at him.

"What is your name boy?"

"Ts-Tsukune Aono, sir."

"Aono, huh? Quite interesting..." The Godfather muttered to himself. With a louder voice, he addressed Tsukune. "Mr. Aono, it seems that Ms. Akashiya here wants to take you under her wing. What do you have to say about that?"

"It is fine by me sir."

"Why?"

Tsukune gulped. "It's a long story…"

"Well, I am much too busy to deal with long stories. So, for the time being, I approve." Tsukune's eyes widened. Was it really that easy? He didn't speak up for fear that anything that he said would make him change his mind, and looking to his left he could see that Moka was in the same position. Unfortunately for them, Kokoa didn't have their same worries.

"Sir, don't you think that you are being a little hasty with your decision? Tsukune could by from a rival gang, or an undercover cop, or, or…" The Godfather cut her off.

"Kokoa, if you haven't completely lost your senses since I last saw you this morning a mere three hours ago, then you can smell the vampire blood in him and that should be assurance enough that he is no police officer. As for being in a rival gang, I trust in Ms. Akashiyas' intuition. After all, it has helped us before, has it not?" The Godfather looked at Moka, who had suddenly become very interested in the floor, and Tsukune got the feeling that there was a whole novel that just passed through the minds of everyone in the room but him. Oh, well, he figured. She was allowed to have her secrets. "Now, is there anything else the two of you would like to discuss with me?" The Godfather asked, directing his question to Moka and Tsukune. The shook their heads no. "Very well then. Go home, the both of you, and continue business tomorrow." Moka bowed and Tsukune followed her example. They rose.

"Come Tsukune." Moka said. Tsukune obeyed and followed her back the way that they came. The Godfather waited until they were far enough away before speaking to Kokoa once again.

"Kokoa, I want you to keep an eye on them and report back to me, understand." Kokoa's mouth became a devilish grin as she bowed and hurried off after the duo. The Godfather was left alone. He spoke into the empty room.

"Aono, huh? Curious. Very curious…"


	4. Tsukune's secret

**Ok, a message to all of my readers: I am not dead. I am not going to stop writing any of my stories. I have been very busy and am very lucky to have this weekend off. Finals will be going on in a few weeks, so don't expect too much new stuff until school is out. But, to tide you over, I wrote another chapter! Hope you enjoy, and sorry for the long wait!**

**CHANGERS CHAPTER 4**

Moka and Tsukune approached the door to her office. It had taken two hours to walk back here from their meeting with the Godfather. Thankfully, Tsukune didn't have to be knocked unconscious since he had been accepted as Moka's apprentice, but he kept his distance from Kokoa nonetheless; she seriously creeped him out. Unfortunately, she stayed with them all the way back to the entrance of the tunnel, where she parted ways with them, saying something about "Having to check on the other Changers". Tsukune was glad to see her go. They stopped in front of the door when Moka suddenly stopped in her tracks. Tsukune had been walking behind her and almost ran into her, but he stopped himself in time. "Um, Moka? What's wrong?" Moka just stared at the door. "Um, Moka? What's wrong?" Moka blinked a few times and shook her head, as if to clear her thoughts. She turned around to face her apprentice.

"Yes? What is it Tsukune?" She asked somewhat impatiently.

"Are you okay? You seem kind of…upset."

"Ha!" Moka scoffed. "You should be more worried about yourself than me! It's not gonna be a walk in the park from now on; now that you're officially my apprentice, people will start challenging you."

"Why would they challenge me?" Tsukune asked, confused. Moka chuckled.

"Let's just say that I'm a much-desired master of the trade. Now, stand still!" She ordered. Tsukune complied, and Moka gave him another look over.

_Hmmm… _she thought to herself._ His transformation is almost complete. Now would be a good time to start training him. _"Alright Tsukune!" Moka exclaimed, clasping her hands together. "Since I don't seem to have any customers, today's the day you're going to learn how to beat up someone!"

"Um, Moka, not to sound ungrateful, but I don't really like hurting people." Moka turned one of her clasped hands into a clenched fist and cracked her knuckles.

"That wasn't a request." She said. "Now c'mon, we have to go train."

XXXXXXX

Three hours later, Tsukune was lying on the ground panting, more exhausted than he had ever been before in his life. Moka had brought him to her special training room beneath her office, which was located beneath a trapdoor under the table where her patients sat. It wasn't a very elaborate place; mostly just an empty cavern; concrete walls, ceiling, and floor. The only decorations were the stairs that led from the office into the training room and a single bare light bulb that somehow was able to illuminate the room. Moka had been relentlessly attacking Tsukune and teaching him how to defend each and every attack she sent his way. Needless to say, he failed miserably, and got the brunt of every attack. At this point, his body was no more than a mottled collection of bruises and various other wounds. A shadow fell over his body as Moka stepped up to him.

"Is that really the best you have?" She asked, hands on her hips. Tsukune groaned in response, and Moka sighed. "I guess so." She looked down at her apprentice, wondering if she had made the right choice. This guy was just so… so… nice! Every time she landed a hit and reprimanded him for failing to block, he merely apologized and tried again. It seemed like nothing could faze this guy, or make him mad. It was oddly infuriating, yet somewhat relaxing at the same time. It was infuriating because Moka had always prided herself on being able to get under the skin of almost anyone; it was a good tactic to use in battle, because most people didn't think clearly when they were agitated, which made fighting them that much easier. On the flip side, she was constantly around angry people, because most vampires were just that: angry, unkind, and high on power. Even if someone was nice as a human, their personalities generally changed when they were turned into vampires. But Tsukune was different. He didn't seem to want to accept the awesome power that he had acquired. She thought about what he had said earlier in the morning: _I hated it there, they hated vampires, I knew that there was a changer in the area. I did what I had to do. _He had said that about his _family._ Sure, she wasn't exactly on the best terms with her family, but she didn't hate them! She was very curious as to what exactly had been so bad about Tsukune's old life; she wanted to know! And why shouldn't she know? He was her apprentice; he agreed to be her bitch! He wasn't allowed to keep secrets! She made her decision, and when she focused her attention on Tsukune once again to deliver her verdict, she saw that he was struggling to his feet. _Hmph. More spunk than I thought._

"Tsukune." She said. He looked up. "What was your life like before you came to me?" Tsukune blanched; so white even the bruises on his face lost colour. Moka raised an eyebrow at his reaction.

"Nothing worth mentioning." He said in a clearly fake happy voice. Moka narrowed her eyes.

"Tsukune…" she said, a dangerous edge to her voice. Tsukune hung his head, avoiding eye contact. He had risen from the floor into a full standing position, but now he sank back to the ground, knees holding up the elbows that he placed on them. He placed his head in his hand and sighed. Moka smiled, knowing that she had gotten her way.

"My last name is Aono." Tsukune began. Moka rolled her eyes.

"No shit." She said.

"Doesn't that sound familiar to you?" Tsukune asked. Moka shook her head; she didn't really pay much attention to the going-ons of the humans unless it concerned vampires.

"Well, the Aono family is rich. VERY rich." Tsukune said. "Normally, that would be somewhat nice, but I don't really like how they get the money." Tsukune let the question that wasn't a question (if that makes any sense) hang in the air. _Alright. I'll bite. _ Moka thought.

"How do they get the money?" Tsukune looked up at his master; his brown eyes were stained with sadness.

"Before I say anything else, I just want to say that I'm sorry." Tsukune said. Moka scoffed.

"Why are you sorry Tsukune?" Moka asked, but as soon as the words were out of her mouth, she realized where she had heard the name Aono before. She took a step back, her hands coming up into a defensive position. "No…"

"Moka, I'm sorry…" Tsukune said, struggling to his feet and holding his hands out palm up.

"You weren't lying when you said that you're family hated vampires, huh?" Moka growled. "Especially considering that they've killed more than any other group of hunters in history!"

"I don't agree with them Moka! I hate what they do! I wanted them to see that what they were doing was wrong! That's why I came to you! I thought that maybe if I became a vampire they would see that what they were doing was wrong!"

"But they kicked you out, right? That's why you came here!"

"Yes, but-"

"Now they know where I am, dumbass!"

Whatever colour had returned to Tsukune's face left again as he realized that Moka was right: he had led the rest of his family right to her doorstep. "Moka-"

"Leave!" She cried out. Tsukune tried to take another step forward, his mouth open to defend himself, but Moka didn't want to hear it. "LEAVE!" She exclaimed, louder than before. Tsukune stopped advancing, paused as if he was going to try again, then slumped as he gave in. he turned around and, ignoring the pain from the bruises, slowly walked over towards the ladder that led up and out of the training room. He climbed up and exited the front door. Moka didn't relax her defensive position until she heard the front door close.

XXXXXXXX

Tsukune closed the door behind him as he left Moka's office, defeated. _God, did I mess that up…_ He thought to himself, leaning on the door and replaying the fight in his mind. _I should have made something up…No, then she would probably have killed me when she found out the truth…_ His internal argument was cut short, however, by a voice from behind him.

"Who the hell are you?" Tsukune turned around and came face-to-face with another vampire. He had wavy brown hair that reached down to his shoulders, but his face was nothing special. His eyes were the red of a vampire, and one of his fangs was sticking out in a clear sign of aggression. He had a backpack slung over one shoulder, and his clothes were slightly wrinkled, as if they had just been purchased the week before. Tsukune swallowed the fear that he got from the bloodlust that radiated off of the individual and answered.

"I'm Tsukune. Who are you?" Tsukune asked, trying to keep his voice steady.

"They call me Corma." Corma growled. "I'm from the next town over. Are you the Tsukune that Miss Moka took on as an apprentice?" Tsukune nodded. "Well, that works out wonderfully for me, seeing how I've come to take you're place and all." Tsukune's eyes widened as he realized Moka hadn't been lying when she had said that people would start challenging him.

"Why would you want to take my place?" Tsukune asked. Corma smirked.

"Why wouldn't I? Miss Moka is one of the best Changers in the business; everybody who wants to break into the system wants to be trained by her. People stopped asking her, though, because she kept saying no. Now that she said yes to someone, people are gonna start coming from all over to try and take your place." Tsukune realized that he had to make a stand here, make it seem that he was stronger than he actually was. So, he got into the same position that Moka had been using earlier.

"I won't let you take my position away from me without a fi-"Corma had sped forward and knocked him out before he could finish the sentence.


	5. Moka makes a choice

Schools out! More time for updates! YAYZ! Also, for readers of Break from the Ordinary: Expect the next chapter up sometime in the next two days.

**CHAPTER 5**

**MOKA MAKES A CHOICE**

Moka was hunched over her desk, hair falling over her eyes as her mind was moving a mile a minute. _What the hell was he thinking, coming her to get transformed into a vampire? Now they'll know where I am… Kokoa was right… Crap! _Moka brought back her fist and punched the desk in frustration, breaking it half, which only added to her troubles. Looking at the rubble which had once been her desk, Moka realized that she needed to calm down. She stepped back and took a few deep breaths. Then she thought hard about her situation. _I need to leave the area._ She decided after a few minutes of deliberation. _Maybe Kurumu will take me in until this situation blows over…_ She looked around her office, making a mental checklist of the things that she would need to take with her. _The only thing that I really need is the contracts. _She walked over to the filing cabinet and starting cycling through the papers, but stopped when she saw one particular name. Tsukune Aono. She stared at the signature, milling over it. She scoffed._ Humph. It's a good thing he was only here for a day. Makes him easier to forget about. _ She tossed the paper aside, but quickly returned her attention to it as it fluttered to the ground. Her emotions were going to war with her logical-thinking brain. Her brain told her to forget about him; he was just another client that she had gotten to know better than the others. So what if he was now officially recognized as her apprentice? She could always get another one; she was one of the best changers in the business after all. But, even her logical side couldn't argue that there had been something intriguing about him. His smile, his easy-going attitude… they were something that Moka hadn't seen in years. Moka clenched her fists as she struggled to make a decision. _ This is one of the reasons that we vampires look down on humans._ She thought to herself as she came to a conclusion. _They always let their emotions get the better of them. I never understood why. _She dropped the papers and turned towards the door. _I think I finally get it. _

She approached the door and stared at it, mentally preparing herself to swallow her pride and bring Tsukune back. It wasn't that she thought that she would have to beg; it was more of the fact that she would be almost admitting that she was wrong. She reached for the doorknob, but just as she grabbed it, a knock came from the other side of the door. Moka quietly cursed at the customer's ill timing, and opened the door fully prepared to turn them away, but became confused when she saw that it was not a customer that awaited her but a wavy brown-haired vampire that she had never seen before. Regardless of it being customer or vampire, Moka needed to get moving, so she quickly growled out "Who are you and what are you doing here?" The newcomer smiled in a way that reminded Moka of a hyena right before it devoured its prey.

"Me? I'm Corma, and I am here to become your apprentice, seeing as you are accepting applications now." Moka scoffed; she didn't have time for this.

"Sorry, but you're a little late; I already have an apprentice." Moka tried to maneuver around Corma, but he blocked her path.

"Who? That weakling Tsukune?" Corma chuckled. "Rest assured, Miss Moka, I have already taken care of that small roadblock." Moka froze, and then slowly made eye contact with Corma, her voice becoming dangerously low as she spoke.

"What do you mean, you took care of him?" Corma, either too stupid or to dense to recognize the malice in Moka's eyes, simply stepped aside and gestured to a crumpled body on the ground. Moka's eyes widened as she recognized Tsukune, even through all of the bruises and cuts on his face. Moka moved to his side and knelt down to feel his pulse. She was surprised when she realized that she was relieved that he was only unconscious. Corma observed the duo with an impassioned face for a moment, and then spoke up.

"Sooooo… what did he do to piss you off so much?" Corma asked. Moka whipped her head around to look at Corma.

"What are you talking about?" She asked, struggling to keep her anger in check. Corma shrugged nonchalantly.

"Well, I mean, I only hit him once. He was pretty weak already when I got him, and he already had all of those other injuries. I figure that you were the only person who would have done that to him. So I was just wondering what he did that was so bad." Moka realized that Corma was right: she had hurt Tsukune pretty badly. When she thought back, he had been all but limping out of her training room. She felt… guilty? Was that the word? It was a new emotion for her, and she didn't like at all. She looked at Tsukune, sizing up his injuries. _He should be fine… all he needs is a lot of sleep._ Was the conclusion that she came to when she finished analyzing him. _ Now that I found Tsukune all I need to do is finish getting ready to leave. There's just one thing left to do. _Moka looked up at Corma once more. She stood up and walked over to him, stopping a few inches away.

"Listen up Corma." She said, dead serious. "Spread the message: I am not going to take any other apprentice, and if anyone tries to hurt Tsukune again, they will have to answer to me. Understand?" Corma's eyes widened.

"But, but, Miss Moka why? He's a weakling! He doesn't deserve to have you as his teacher!" Corma stuttered out, trying to make Moka change her mind. Moka narrowed her eyes.

"What makes you think you're any better? You attacked someone who clearly was in no condition to fight back. Only someone without honor would do that, and I refuse to spend another minute in your company." And without another word, Moka reached up, grabbed Corma by the collar, turned around, and threw him as hard as she could. She listened, and was rewarded by the satisfying sound of Corma yelping in pain as he made contact with something very hard. Pleased with her revenge, Moka went over to Tsukune and bent down and picked him up bridal-style. She carried him back into her office, shutting the door behind her with her foot. She laid Tsukune down on the table, then reached into her pocket and pulled out her cell phone, which she only used in extreme situations. She dialed a number, and then waited for the receiver to pick up.

"Hello?" Came the voice through the phone.

"Kurumu? It's Moka. I need a favor…"


	6. Apologies all around

**CHAPTER 6**

**APOLOGIES ALL AROUND**

Tsukune groaned, his body giving off a dull ache as he woke up from being knocked out. He had a throbbing headache, but he forced himself to clear away the grogginess as he opened his eyes. Though it took a minute, Tsukune's vision cleared up and he was able to see the ceiling of the room that he was in, which confused him. _Why am I inside?_ Tsukune thought. _The last thing I remember is that Corma guy knocking me unconscious…and that was outside. How in the world did I get here? And where is here anyway? _Tsukune tried to move his neck and found that it was incredibly stiff. Ignoring the feeling, Tsukune looked around and observed the room. It was medium-sized, and ornately decorated. Tsukune was lying on the bed, which was situated in the upper-right corner and was quite comfortable due to the red silk sheets and feather pillow. Next to the bed was a small table that was adorned with a lamp that was currently in the off position. The walls were bare and were painted black, giving the room an aura of darkness. In the upper left-hand corner was an open door that Tsukune saw led deeper into…wherever he was. Along the walls was a small cushioned chair with a small pile of books next to it, a dresser, and a large mirror. In the lower-right corner of the room, there was a closed door, from which Tsukune could hear the sound of running water. Tsukune tried to get up, but when he moved his limbs he realized that his entire body was sore. Tsukune also realized that instead of clothes, he was covered in bandages from head to toe. Doing his best to ignore the soreness, Tsukune struggled to get up for a few more moments before hearing the water suddenly stop running and what sounded like a shower curtain being pulled aside. Tsukune froze, afraid of what would happen once whoever was in the bathroom emerged and found out that he was awake. The door handle turned and Tsukune braced himself for the worst. Imagine his surprise when out of the steam emerged Moka, dripping wet and dressed in nothing but a towel. Tsukune's eyes bugged out and he started making sputtering noises due to the shock. Hearing this, Moka turned her attention to the other occupant of the room and spoke.

"Good, you're awake." Moka said calmly, as if nothing was amiss. She probably said more, but by that point Tsukune had passed out from a massive nosebleed.

XXXXXXXX

Tsukune woke up again several minutes later and was greeted by the sight of a seated Moka wearing a basic white tank-top that was complimented by her black pants. It wasn't the most elaborate get-up in the world, but at least Tsukune didn't get a nosebleed from looking at it. They stared at each other awkwardly for a few moments before Tsukune got up some nerve and spoke. "Um… hi Moka." He said, trying to break the ice. Moka raised one of her eyebrows at his lame attempt. There was another awkward silence, this one lasting a full minute, though it felt like much longer.

_Come on Moka, he deserves it. _Moka thought to herself, trying to muster up some courage. _Just swallow you're pride and say you're sorry!_ Just as Moka was about to open her mouth, Tsukune started talking again.

"Moka, I'm sorry I didn't tell you that my family is made up of vampire hunters. I should have let you know." Tsukune said. Moka's eyes widened in disbelief. Was he serious? He honestly thought that it was his fault? Was he really _that _naïve? Tsukune continued talking. "I appreciate you helping me get better, but if you want to ditch me to save yourself, I completely underst-"

SMACK.

Tsukune stopped short of completing his sentenced due to Moka's powerful slap to his face. She had reacted on instinct, jumping out of her seat and stopping the man on the bed before he could utter a possibility that she refused to acknowledge she had considered once in the past. Moka was leaning over the bed, face flushed in a slightly angry expression while her slapping hand was still held up and rigid by her side. Tsukune was so shocked at her actions that he just lay there, staring at her.

"You," Moka started, "Are such an _idiot!_" She leaned down until her face was roughly a foot away from Tsukune's own. Her silver hair was falling over her shoulders in cascades, framing her face and Tsukune's due to the fact that it was falling around his face on the bed. "It is not your fault that your family kills vampires." She leaned closer. "It is not your fault that you don't like what they do. That's a good thing, in fact." She leaned closer. "It is not your fault that you wanted to get out. You did the most logical thing." She leaned closer; by this point, the duo was touching noses. "And, most important, you are my apprentice now. I might have…overreacted a little bit earlier, but from now on, we are sticking together. We're in this together. Understand?" Tsukune could do nothing but nod. Satisfied, Moka stood up. But Tsukune still had one last question.

"Um, Moka…"

"What?"

"Did…were you the one who put the bandages on me? I mean, they are covering my entire body…" Tsukune left the sentence hanging as both him and Moka turned scarlet red. Moka struggled to gather herself.

"Y-yes, that was me. But don't think too much into it! You needed to be bandaged so I gave you the proper medical attention! Nothing more, nothing less." Moka said, not wanting to go into any more detail than she had too. Tsukune decided that it was best not to push her. Moka started walking to the dresser. "Now, you while you were asleep, I took the liberty of buying you some new clothes." She reached down and took out a plastic bag that was next to the dresser, which Tsukune hadn't noticed before. Reaching inside, Moka pulled out some pieces of fabric and threw them to Tsukune, who caught them with ease. "Just slide these on over your bandages." Tsukune complied, then got off the bed and stretched. He slowly walked over to the mirror and examined himself. The clothing was simple, like what Moka was wearing; white button-down shirt, solid black pants. Nothing special. Still, as Tsukune checked himself out, he couldn't help but think that he looked pretty damn good. Moka watched as Tsukune got dressed, and for some reason, she felt a little twinge in her chest. She shook it off, not having time to deal with it. "Tsukune." She said to get the attention of her apprentice. He turned. "One of my friends is going to be giving us a place to stay until we find somewhere else to go. Her name is Kurumu. Unfortunately, she is unable to pick us up, so we're going to have to walk there. Just follow me and we'll have no problems. Ok?" Tsukune nodded. Moka turned to leave the room, but something occurred to her and she faced Tsukune again. "One last thing." She said. "You're transformation should be complete in about 2-3 hours. When you're done transforming, you will begin to experience the thirst." Tsukune instantly understood what she meant. "I need you to tell me the second you start feeling hungry; if you go without blood for too long, you'll become consumed by the thirst and start to go crazy. Needless to say, that would be very bad. Do you understand? Let me know the second you start feeling urges." Tsukune nodded. "Good." Moka turned and walked out of the room. Feeling a tad uneasy, Tsukune followed her.


	7. The rift between the races

Sorry for the wait-those idea bunnies are really hard to catch. As for this chapter…It gets kind of deep, and what Moka says is my personal view on vampires so if it offends anyone, I'm sorry.

**CHAPTER 7**

**THE RIFT BETWEEN THE RACES**

Tsukune exited what he assumed had been Moka's bedroom and found himself in a long hallway. They were the same colour as the bedroom, but this time there was a single photograph that was hanging on the wall. It had a large gold frame, and the fact that it was the only decoration that Tsukune had seen so far was probably dew him ever closer to it. However, before Tsukune could get a good look at the photo, he heard Moka's voice calling him from farther down the hall. He turned and jogged to where she was, but in the back of his mind he held on to the one thing he had managed to glimpse in the picture: a younger, human-looking Moka…

XXXXXXXX

Tsukune was stunned; Moka's house was very, very extravagant. He and Moka had arrived at the top of the stairs and Tsukune was able to see that his bosses' house was quite large. At the bottom of the winding stairway way the foyer of the house, which looked quite nice with the marble tiles as flooring. Branching off the right of the foyer was what could be assumed was the entertainment room, in which resided a large high-definition television and a few couches laying on top a of a rug, varying in colour from the same blood-red as Moka's bed sheets to a soft pink, which came as a mild surprise to Tsukune (he kept it to himself). As he descended the stairs, Tsukune saw that in the room to the left of the foyer was the kitchen; he could tell by the counter made of marble accompanied by the sinks and the refrigerator filled with food. Tsukune would have loved to explore the two rooms, and even the rest of the house, further, but Moka was in no mood to loiter. She was tapping her foot impatiently by the door, so Tsukune hurried over. "Alright, Tsukune; listen up." Moka started, sounding like a mother reprimanding her son. "As I'm sure you know, just because we Vampires co-exist with humans doesn't mean that all of them like us; in fact, at least half if the population wants nothing to do with us. So, ignore everyone, and let me do all of the talking. Understood? Just follow my lead." Tsukune nodded, not wanting to jeopardize his safety or Moka's by accidentally saying something stupid. Satisfied with Tsukune's answer, Moka turned and opened the front door, motioning Tsukune to follow her as she strode outside.

XXXXXX

They had been walking no more than ten minutes and already Tsukune was regretting not wearing a disguise of some sort. They had received hateful stares from just about everyone, and there probably would have been some angry mobs forming if Moka didn't look so intimidating. As it was, Tsukune was doing exactly what Moka told him to do: ignoring everyone and keeping his eyes straight ahead, following Moka closely so as not to get left behind. Suddenly, Moka stopped short, almost making Tsukune run into her. Ignoring her apprentice, Moka turned around and, with a death glare, asked "Is there a problem, sir?" Tsukune, confused, followed Moka's gaze and saw that it was directed at a man. The man appeared to be about twenty-five years old, and was in bad need of a shave. His long-sleeve red t-shirt, accompanied by his neon-red running pants, made it hurt to look at him. Tsukune didn't see a problem with him, but apparently Moka did. "He's been following us for the last five minutes." Moka whispered under her breath, apparently able to sense Tsukune's curiosity.

The man, apparently surprised at being found out, shook for a few seconds, then opened his mouth. "I hate vampires!" He exclaimed, clenching his fists in anger. Moka was unfazed.

"Good for you." She said coolly, putting her hand on her hips in a sign of boredom. The man clenched his jaw, and Tsukune tensed his muscles, ready to leap into action if things got violent.

"You vampires think that you're so cool!" The man shouted, his face turning red. By now, a crowd had gathered around the group, and Tsukune was acutely aware of all of the stares they were getting and whispers that were circulating. The man either didn't notice or didn't care, because he kept right on talking. "You kill us humans! You drink our blood and you eat us! You attack us and make us one of you! You're monsters, the lot of you!" The man all but screamed.

Tsukune froze. The man had no idea who he was dealing with. Tsukune's gaze flickered back and forth between Moka and the man, preparing to intervene if things got ugly. _Moka wouldn't hurt an innocent man… Would she?_ Tsukune thought. He didn't know if Moka hated humans, loved them, or what, so he couldn't be sure as to how she would react. As Tsukune was busy trying to figure out how he would possibly stop Moka if she attacked, His boss suddenly spoke up.

"Humans drink the blood and eat the meat of Cows and pigs. It is how they survive." She started, eyes narrowed. "But, humans do not have to eat cows-just look at vegetarians. However, they continue to do so. Vampires, on the other hand, cannot become the vampire equivalent of a vegetarian. We MUST drink blood to survive. We have no choice. Most of us do not wish to hurt humans, but we must in order to get the blood to survive." The crowd had gone silent, and Tsukune was drinking every word, realizing how true they were. "Humans kill those lower than them on the food chain because they can. When was the last time you heard of a Vampire attacking a human?" The man opened his mouth as if to intervene, but Moka just kept on talking. "In fact, when was the last time you heard of a Vampire forcibly turning a human into a fellow Vampire? That's why Changers exist." Moka paused, letting her words sink in. "If you think about it, us Vampires are just trying to survive. Vampire hunters? An invention of the human mind, and a clear sign of distrust. So don't talk to me about Vampires being monsters; not until you've looked in the mirror. Good day to you sir." With that, Moka turned and continued on her way as if nothing happened. Tsukune looked around. The man in the red clothes now had a face to match, clearly feeling humiliated by Moka's speech. The rest of the crowd was slowly trickling away, mostly silent save for the occasional muttering of "Stupid vampires," but even those didn't have much power behind it.

Tsukune looked down at his hands. _I never thought of it like that. Maybe…Maybe if they heard that, my family would understand too._ Tsukune clenched his hand, turned, and caught up to Moka. _I'll worry about that when I see them again. _He thought. _But for now, I'll stay with Moka…and see what else I can learn._

XXXXXXX

Sorry if this chapter is too serious for you, the next chapter will be more light-hearted and won't take as long, I promise!


	8. Dreams

Sorry for the long wait guys… I've been away for quite a long time, and had no access to any computers or phones. On the plus side though, I brought my notebook with me and wrote chapter 8! Yay! Now, nothing super-amazing happens in this chapter, but rather brings Moka and Tsukune closer together and lays the groundwork for some future plot points. Enjoy!

XXXXXX

**CHAPTER 8**

**DREAMS**

Moka and Tsukune were continuing their journey to Kurumu's house, which at the moment was leading through a central park. Moka, being Moka, was simply walking, focusing on getting the encounter with the man who was wearing red out of her head and getting the two of them to safety. Tsukune, on the other hand, was looking all around, enjoying the peacefulness of the park. This led him to spot an unusual amount of activity a little ways off to his right. He slowed his pace to take a better look; his eyes lit up and he grinned when he realized what he was looking at.

"Hey, Moka! Check out what's going on over there!" Moka stopped and looked behind her, noticing for the first time Tsukune had stopped walking and had started staring into the distance at… something. Moka sighed and walked over to her apprentice.

"Tsukune, we've been held up enough as it is. We don't have time to fool around." Moka said sternly, scolding Tsukune. "What is so important anyway?" Moka followed Tsukune's gaze. "Tch." Moka said when she realized what her accomplice was looking at. "It's a wedding, Tsukune." She said, not understanding what the big deal was.

"I've never seen a wedding before." Tsukune said, somewhat excitedly. Moka rolled her eyes and opened her mouth, getting ready to scold Tsukune once more, but suddenly found herself being all but dragged by the arm towards the wedding. "Let's go check it out!" Tsukune said, clearly enthusiastic. Moka was about to protest, but something made her bite her tongue.

_I guess we have some time. _Moka thought as Tsukune pulled her. _I'll let him have his fun._

They arrived at the center of the park, where the wedding was being held, but stuck to the outskirts of the event due to the fact that they weren't invited. The duo took in the majestic sight. Pure white streamers were draped across the trees, forming a large halo around the wedding area. There were several rows of chairs, each one ending in a bouquet of multi-colored roses. The pew had been fashioned from a gazebo; pink sash was draped across the beams that held it upright, attached to the wood by large flowers. Flowers and candles decorated the banquet table, and the cake was surrounded by gifts. The proceedings had already started; the bride and groom were holding hands in the center of the gazebo while the Priest talked about what a perfect day it was for a wedding and the guests watched with increasing interest. To put it simply: it was beautiful.

Tsukune watched the event with interest; he had never been to a wedding before, and he was finding that he quite liked the experience. He glanced over at Moka, wanting to see how she was reacting. He was quite taken aback when he saw her gazing at the gorgeous scene in front of her with…was that wistfulness in her eyes? Tsukune couldn't believe what he was seeing. "Moka?" he asked softly. Tsukune's voice seemed seemed to bring Moka back to reality; she shook her head slightly and blinked a few times. She turned towards her accomplice.

"Yes, Tsukune, what is it?" Moka asked, slightly embarrassed that she had zoned out for a minute. Tsukune chuckled, amused that he had been able to catch Moka off guard.

"What are you thinking about?" Tsukune asked, trying to determine the reason for Moka's wistful look. A blush rose to the face of the silver-haired vampire; apparently, it was an embarrassing topic. She turned her head so that all Tsukune saw was the back of her head.

"Well, you know," Moka started awkwardly. "Us girls, we have these… *ahem* childhood fantasies of… well… meeting Mister Perfect at the altar." Moka's blush was becoming a deeper crimson with every word.

"And seeing this wedding reminded you of those childhood fantasies?" Tsukune guessed. Moka didn't respond, leading Tsukune to believe that he was right. He smiled. "That's nothing to be ashamed of, Moka." She scoffed.

"It's a childhood dream. I should put it behind me." Moka said. Clearly she had given this a lot of thought.

"What? That's crazy." Tsukune said. "You should hold onto your dreams." Moka scoffed once more.

"The only dream I have is not dying at the hands of vampire hunters Tsukune." Out of the corner of her eye, Moka saw Tsukune flinch when she mentioned vampire hunters, and she instantly felt guilty for reminding him just why they were on the run. She turned and was about to apologize when Tsukune unexpectedly spoke up.

"My dream is for coexistence." He said softly. Moka looked at him, taken aback; she honestly wasn't expecting that. Things were silent for another minute; while the duo watched the wedding continue (it seemed to be reaching the climax). Eventually, Moka spoke up.

"That would be nice." Moka agreed. "But let's be honest; it's not going to happen." Tsukune looked at Moka, surprised that she was so pessimistic.

"What makes you say that?"

"Let's be honest Tsukune: that run-in with the guy dressed in red? He isn't the only person who feels that way, and he won't be the last." Moka sighed. "I accepted a long time ago that vampires and humans would always be at odds." Tsukune tsked softly. Moka raised an eyebrow in a silent question.

"If you think like that, they certainly will be." Tsukune said, a smile in his voice as well as his face. "You have to think positive, Moka, otherwise life will be depressing."

Moka considered what Tsukune said. _I never thought of it that way._ Moka realized. She regarded her apprentice once more. _He's smarter than he looks…And he dreams of coexistence…_Moka smiled. _I'm glad he decided to stick around._ A round of applause broke Moka's train of thought. She glanced back at the wedding and saw the groom following the priests' orders and kissing his bride, who was happily obliging. Moka glanced at her watch.

"Alright, Tsukune, we've watched enough. We really need to get going." Tsukune grinned and raised his arm.

"Lead the way." He said. Moka did just that. She glanced behind her and saw Tsukune happily plodding along behind her. She faced forward again and allowed a small smile to grace her features.

_Yes…_ She thought to herself. _I'm very glad that he decided to stick around._

XXXXXXXXX

OK, so! Next chapter, we actually get back to the plot! See you then!


	9. Enter Kurumu

This took longer than I expected, mostly because I was working on some storyboards! Also, on a related note, does anyone know how to use a scanner?

XXXXXXX

**CHAPTER 9**

**ENTER KURUMU **

Moka frowned, placing her hand on her hip and glaring at the door in front of her as if it was the cause of all of her problems. Narrowing her eyes, she rapped on the door twice, waited a few seconds, and then rang the doorbell a couple of times. Tsukune, standing behind Moka, could tell that she was getting agitated.

"Uh, Moka, maybe she isn't home." Tsukune said, trying to take control of the situation. Moka shook her head.

"The car is in the driveway, and I can smell her through the door. She's probably asleep or something; the slacker." Moka tried the door one more time, then sighed as she realized she would have to take matters into her own hands. She took something out of her pocket, then kneeled down so that the lock on the door was at eye-level. She lifted up the thing that she took from her pocket (which now Tsukune was able to tell that it was some sort of small, jagged piece of metal), and jammed it into the keyhole. She fiddled with it while Tsukune looked on the odd scene with apprehension.

"Moka, what are you doing?" Tsukune asked, already having an idea.

"I'm picking the lock." Moka said frankly. "Kurumu said that she would help us, and if she's not going to let us in, then we're going to have to let ourselves in." As she spoke, there was a small clicking sound from the lock. Moka hummed in satisfaction as she removed the lock-pick and pocked it once more. She turned the handle and the door swung open easily. The duo stepped inside the house, with Moka leading the way. She looked around, as Tsukune did the same. "Now, where are you Kurumu?" She whispered under her breath.

The first thing that Tsukune noticed was that the house was big, though not as big as Moka's. There was a staircase that trailed up a wall immediately to their right, while to the left there was an entrance to what looked like a kitchen, due to the stove and various pots, pans, and cooking utensils stacked in piles on the island. Ironically, the table was perfectly clean, as was the area near the refrigerator. Moka walked right through, ignoring everything, and walked right into the room attached to the kitchen. All of the lights were off, save for the flashing lights coming from the TV. They were shining onto a couch, and when Moka reached it and looked to the other side, she scoffed.

"How typical." She said with distaste. Tsukune approached the coach and observed what Moka was looking at. Lying on the couch was what Tsukune assumed was Kurumu. She was asleep on the couch, sprawled out on her back with her head facing the TV. She was wearing a rather extravagant pair of white sweatpants which seemed to be made of silk, which went well with her black shirt made of the same material. Her odd blue hair was done up in a messy ponytail, which prevented her from rolling her head. She was actually quite cute while she was asleep, but Tsukune didn't have time to dwell on it as Moka reached down and started shaking the shoulder of the sleeping figure.

"Kurumu, wake up!" Moka said as she shook Kurumu's shoulder. After about 30 seconds, Kurumu moaned a little and her eyes started to flutter open.

"Buh…" Kurumu said, slightly incoherent as her eyes focused on her two visitors. She blinked a few times until she had cleared the sleepiness from her eyes. "Moka? What are you doing here?" Kurumu asked, sitting up.

"Baka!" Moka said, her eye starting to twitch as she started to grow agitated. "Did you seriously forget? I only called you an hour ago!" Kurumu rubbed her eyes and tapped her chin for a moment or two, deep in thought. Then her eyes lit up with recognition.

"Oh yeah!" Kurumu exclaimed, now remembering. Then she looked at Tsukune. "But, you forgot to say that your new apprentice was a boy…" Kurumu said, eyeing Tsukune up and down. "Or that he was quite so cute!" She added. Tsukune blushed, not used to receiving such compliments (or many at all, for that matter). Moka, for some reason, found herself growing slightly jealous at Kurumu's show of affection.

"Tsukune," Moka said, trying to keep her voice level. "Why don't you introduce yourself?" Tsukune, sensing that Moka was growing angry, quickly stuck out his hand.

"H-hi, I'm Tsukune, Moka's new apprentice." Tsukune said, trying to keep his voice as steady as he could. Kurumu looked at Tsukune's outstretched hand, completely ignoring it, glomped Tsukune, shoving his head into her chest.

"Ohhh, you are just too cute!" Kurumu squealed, shaking Tsukune back and forth while smothering him with her breasts. Moka watched, red-faced and in awe of what her friend was doing. Acting on gut instinct, Moka grabbed her apprentice and yanked him away from Kurumu, who frowned.

"Awww, Moka, why'd you go and do that?" Kurumu asked, crossing her arms and sticking out her bottom lip so it looked like she was a five-year old who was refused a toy at the toy store. "You're no fun…"

"That's besides the point!" Moka said, trying to regain her composure. "Look, we need to figure out a plan about we're going to get away from these vampire hunters!" Kurumu rolled her eyes.

"Relax, Moka; I've escaped from a lot of vampire hunters over the years." Kurumu said, not seeing the big deal.

"You won't be able to charm your way out of getting hunted this time." Moka said, knowing just how Kurumu had gotten away from other vampire hunters. Kurumu yawned, not worried.

"Whatever." She said. She looked at Moka once more. "Um, you know that you can let him go now, right?"

"What are you talking-"Moka started, but stopped when she looked down at Tsukune. She hadn't noticed it before, but she was still holding onto his shoulders. She quickly let go, her face reddening as she did so. She expected Tsukune to quickly regain his balance and stand up, but instead he landed face first against the hardwood floor. "Tsukune?" Moka asked, concerned. It was then that she noticed that Tsukune had become rather flushed and was panting rather hard. Tsukune whispered something that Moka didn't hear, and she leaned in closer. "Tsukune?" She asked again.

"My…throat burns." Tsukune said in a raspy voice. Moka's eyes widened as she realized what was going on.

"Kurumu!" Moka shouted, whipping her head up and addressing her friend.

"What?" The blue-haired girl asked.

"Get some blood packs; Tsukune's suffering from the Thirst!"


	10. The Thirst

**CHAPTER 10**

**THE THIRST**

Tsukune couldn't think about anything besides the burning in his throat and the growing urge to drink blood. Through the haze of the urge, he was vaguely aware of Moka shaking his shoulder and speaking to him. He tried to focus on what Moka was saying.

"…Hold on…transfusion bags…" Tsukune made out. He tried to ignore the burning sensation by focusing on what Moka meant by transfusion bags.

XXXXXXX

Moka was frantically shaking Tsukune's shoulder and saying things that she could only hope would help make the thirst more bearable. She shuddered as she remembered her experience with The Thirst…she focused on the situation at hand rather than go on with that train of thought. Underneath Moka's palm, Tsukune was convulsing and writhing in pain. Moka turned and looked towards Kurumu, who was quickly going through her refrigerator.

"Kurumu, what's taking so long?" Moka asked, somewhat frantic.

"I'm looking as fast as I can!" Kurumu responded, digging into the depths of her refrigerator.

Suddenly, there was the sound of shattering glass, and Moka whipped her head to where Tsukune was laying. Or, more accurately, where Tsukune had been laying. Moka's head shot up, and, seeing a broken window, she put two and two together and realized what had happened. _Of course,_ Moka thought, swearing under her breath. _The Thirst indicates that someone has become a full vampire, with all of the powers and weaknesses; The thirst must have clouded Tsukune's mind, and he used his new super-speed in order to escape through the window when I let my guard down._

"I found one!" Kurumu said triumphantly, pulling a transfusion pack from the refrigerator and holding it above her head in triumph. She turned around, and her face fell as she took in the scene before her: Moka sitting on the ground with a frown on her face, a broken window, and no cute guy in sight.

"Hey…" Kurumu started. "Where'd Tsukune go?"

"He's thirsty." Moka said, getting up and making for the door. No more explanation was required; Kurumu understood immediately and hurried to follow Moka out of the door.

XXXXXXXX

Tsukune's eyes raced back and forth, looking for something to quell the burning in his throat. Nothing seeing anything, he took a step forward and his nose picked up the most delicious scent. Using his newly-evolved senses, he honed in on the smell and dashed towards it. In the back of his mind, something was telling him that this was a bad idea, that he should wait for Moka, but he ignored it. Nothing was going to stand in the way of him and his first drink.

Nothing.

XXXXXXX

Moka and Kurumu dashed out of the house, trying to find Tsukune before he hurt someone. _If he hurts someone, or worse, accidentally kills them, he won't be able to live with himself!_ Moka thought. She closed her eyes and focused on her nose, trying to pick up Tsukune's scent. After a few moments, she found it. Her eyes flew open as she turned to Kurumu.

"C'mon, we have to hurry!" Kurumu nodded, and they chased after Tsukune.

XXXXXX

He was close now… he could smell his prey right around the corner. It was alone; that was good. It made things simpler. Slowly, he approached the corner of the alley, making sure his prey didn't sense him. When he was sure he was close enough, Tsukune leaped, tackling his victim and holding him down. He opened his mouth, baring his fangs, and he could feel the heartbeat of his prey quicken. He leaned down towards the jugular vein, the scarlet ambrosia running through his victim's veins all but calling his name.

XXXXXXXX

The scent was growing stronger with every step Moka and Kurumu took as they raced towards Tsukune. Using their vampirific speed, it had only taken a minute to catch up to Tsukune, but Moka feared they might already be too late; In addition to the scent of her apprentice, she could smell someone else, someone who Tsukune had almost defiantly seen as prey in his thirst-induced state. The duo skidded to a stop at the alleyway where that Tsukune was in, and Moka felt her stomach clench up as she realized that her apprentice was about to feast on some poor man who was in the wrong place at the wrong time.

"Tsukune!" Moka called out on instinct.

XXXXXXXX

Tsukune hesitated as a voice cut through the haze that was clouding his mind. He knew that voice; he trusted that voice. Where had it come from?

XXXXXXXX

Moka calmed down a little when she saw that Tsukune had stopped, but she knew that she had to keep talking or he would attack. She had to choose her words carefully. She motioned for Kurumu to give her the transfusion packet, and once it was in her hands, she started talking again.

"Tsukune, you need to stop this." Moka started, taking a cautious step forward. "If you don't you'll most likely kill that man, and I know that you'll blame yourself."

"Listen: we have a transfusion pack here. If you can just calm down and drink this, the thirst will go away."

XXXXXXXXX

The part of Tsukune's mind that was listening to Moka hung onto every word, and it forced the rest of Tsukune's mind to listen as well. Moka's words pierced through the haze, and it slowly dawned on Tsukune that he was holding a man down with his fangs inches from the man's neck.

_Oh my God, what am I doing?_ Tsukune thought. But internally, a part of him argued back.

_You're eating, just like you would have done when you were human. _Tsukune started to slowly lift up his head.

_No._ He thought. _I won't be a monster._ Tsukune straightened out his back, and then attempted to get up. Unfortunately, the sudden bloodlust had left him disoriented, and he accidentally fell backwards with a grunt. The man whose chest he had just occupied wasted no time in getting up and scurrying away, but Tsukune didn't pay attention to him, and neither did Moka who wasted no time in getting to Tsukune's side.

"Tsukune, are you all right?" She asked, kneeling down. Tsukune cradled his head in his hands.

"…I almost killed a man." He said softly. Moka placed a reassuring hand on Tsukune's back.

"Maybe so." She said, and she saw Tsukune flinch. "But you didn't. That's what matters." She raised the transfusion packet up to Tsukune, who looked at her from between his fingers. "Drink." She urged softly, not wanting to push him. Slowly, and with a downcast look on his face, Tsukune reached for the packet of vampire nectar. He brought it to his nose and sniffed cautiously. Closing his eyes, Tsukune opened his jaw and brought the transfusion pack up to his gums. Just as he was about to bite down, a sound rebounded off of the narrow brick walls of the alleyway.

"There you are, Tsukune." Moka, Tsukune, and Kurumu looked towards the source of the sound. There, Moka saw two figures standing in the shadows, and even with her acute eyesight, all Moka could make out was that it was a man and a woman.

_Damn! I let my guard down again! _Moka thought. She was finding it easier and easier to let down her guard around Tsukune; she needed to work on that. Speaking of Tsukune, out of the corner of her eye, Moka could tell that her apprentice had frozen, and his skin had turned a pasty white. Before Moka was able to ask what was wrong, Tsukune spoke softly; so softly, almost, that Moka barely heard it even with her super-hearing.

"Mom. Dad."


	11. Family reunion

Yes, I agree: that last cliffhanger was evil. Mwahahahaha!

XXXXXXX

**CHAPTER 11**

**FAMILY REUNION**

Moka felt herself stop breathing and her heartbeat quicken when she realized that she was in the presence of two of the most feared hunters of her kind. _That's why I can't see them, and why I didn't feel them sneaking up on the three of us, _Moka thought.It was well-known among vampires that the Aono family had developed perfumes that greatly reduced, if not completely got rid of, the unique scent that all humans had. Not having any scent allowed them to sneak up on vampires undetected. They had also developed special drugs that improved their body's performances into that of a super human, with senses and strength that rivaled a vampires' own. Moka had always scoffed at the rumors, but now that two Aono's were in front of her, she realized that the so-called 'myths' were nothing but fact.

The hunting duo stepped out of the shadows and into the light, allowing Moka to get a good look. The woman, whom Moka assumed was Tsukune's mother, had cropped brown hair, which went well with her eyes of the same colour (_so that's where Tsukune gets them_ Moka thought). She was roughly Kurumu's height, and about half a head shorter than the man standing beside her. He had cropped hair, like the woman's, except his hair was raven-black. His eyes were blue, which was normally a welcoming colour, but there was almost no trace of warmth in the gaze he was directing at the trio of vampires before him. Despite that, they wouldn't have been particularly threatening if it wasn't for the clothes they were wearing. They had on matching black jumpsuits adorned with all manner of vampire-killing items from wooden stakes to bottles of water (although those might have been carried in case someone got thirsty).

"We finally found you Tsukune." Tsukune's mom said. She stared at the blood bag in her son's hand with distaste. "And it looks like we were just in time. I can't believe you were actually going to _drink blood. _Ugh. Now come on…it's time for you to come home." Tsukune didn't respond; he seemed frozen. For the first time, Moka realized that Tsukune didn't just not approve of what his family did; he was afraid of them. Looking at the two people Tsukune called his parents, it wasn't that hard to see why. Tsukune's dad's eye twitched; apparently he didn't like his son's lack of response.

"Tsukune!" He yelled. "Get over here!" Moka flinched at the outburst, not expecting such a loud noise in such a tense situation. She glanced behind her to see what Kurumu was doing, and was shocked to find that her friend had disappeared.

_Why that little…_ however, before Moka could finish with her mental insult, her apprentice spoke up.

"N-no" Tsukune said in a feeble voice. Moka's ears perked up; had she heard right? Apparently she had, as Tsukune's fathers' nostrils flared.

"Excuse me?" He asked in a threatening tone. Tsukune looked up at his parents; it was quite apparent that he was scared stiff, but he had something to say, and he really needed to be heard.

"N-no." Tsukune said, his voice more firm this time but still a tad shaky. "I d-don't want to g-go back home with you." Tsukune gulped. His father's eyes narrowed and his mother just giggled a little.

"Oh, Tsukune." His mom said. "It doesn't matter if you want to come back or not." She reached into one of the pouches on her belt and extracted a syringe, capped off and filled to the brim with an odd-green colored mixture. Both Moka and Tsukune recoiled at the pungent scent it gave off; they didn't know what the mixture was, all they knew was that they didn't want it anywhere near them.

Tsukune's mother took a step forward. Moka tried to move back, but she realized that she couldn't move. What was wrong with her?

_I'm scared._ Moka realized. _I'm so scared I can't move._ Moka and Tsukune watched as Tsukune's mom came ever closer, the syringe seeming more and more menacing with every step.

Suddenly, Tsukune's mom collapsed like a sack of potatoes. Moka saw a flash of blue hair, and she quickly recognized Kurumu sitting on top of now-unconscious vampire hunter. Moka was startled to see that her friend had appeared out of nowhere.

"Kurumu? What…but…but…How?" Moka stuttered out, not sure what to say. Kurumu scrambled to her feet and dashed over to Moka and Tsukune.

"I'll explain later-run!" Moka didn't need to be told twice. She grabbed Tsukune's arm and, rising to her feet, followed Kurumu out of the alleyway. They turned and dashed back the way they came, Moka dragging Tsukune, who was still in shock. "When I saw the vampire hunters, I climbed the building and waited for an opening. When I saw that you couldn't move, I-ACK!" Kurumu left out a shout as she toppled headfirst onto the ground and rolled a few times. Moka, not expecting Kurumu's sudden stop, tripped over her friend and landed on the ground with Tsukune close by. Before she could rise to her feet however, a sharp pain struck her shoulder and the world turned black. Tsukune, seeing his master collapse, finally snapped out of his shock. But Before he could do anything, he was struck with the same pain Moka was and blacked out.

XXXXXXX

"Boy; the Aono's really do think of everything, don't they?" Said a gruff-voiced man to his partner as they stepped out of the shadows. He holstered the tranquilizer gun that he used to take down the vampires as the other man took out three pairs of handcuffs imbedded with crosses. "Havin' us wait at down the street in case the vamps got away." They approached the unconscious trio and started putting on the handcuffs, but paused when they reached Tsukune.

"Hey," The soft-spoken man said to the gruff-voiced man. "Isn't this the leaders son?" The gruff-voiced man nodded.

"Yep. He's one 'o them now." He prodded Tsukune's unconscious body with his foot. "Good thing they just perfected that new formula." The soft-spoken man became confused.

"What new formula?" The gruff-voiced man grunted.

"The one to change vampire's back to normal."

XXXXXXXX

I'm not so sure about this chapter. It was more to further the story to where I want it to be than anything else. I hope that this constant cliffhanger thing isn't turning anyone off of the story; I put them there to give incentive to read the next chapter. If they bother you, I'm sorry, but I'm not going to change it.


	12. Back to normal

Now that school has started and my life has an actual schedule rather than 'oh just kill time wait where did the day go', I should be updating more frequently, which I know is great news for some of you.

Expect a new chapter about once a week.

XXXXXXX

**CHAPTER 12**

**BACK TO NORMAL**

Tsukune came back to consciousness with a throbbing head and aching muscles. He groaned, not wanting to be awake after such a nice nap, but he quickly erased the thought and forced his eyes opened when he remembered why he was sleeping in the first place. He quickly sat up, and it was at this point that he realized he was in a cell. Not just any cell; this was one of the cells that his parents had specifically built underneath their mansion as a holding ground for vampires who raised their interest. Tsukune had never actually ventured down here when he was living with his family; he had been much too scared to find out what was making the constant screams that he heard.

Now, looking around, he realized that he hadn't been missing much. The cell walls were bare, made of stone and mortar. They were also covered in slime, what appeared to be dried blood, and other blotches of things that were better off unidentified. There was no bed, just a blanket and a small pillow. In front of Tsukune lay a large steel door, and there were no windows, barred or otherwise. The only illumination came from a naked light bulb hanging from the ceiling.

Tsukune looked around, hopeful that he had missed something, but frowned when he saw that he had indeed seen everything on his glance. Moka wasn't here, and neither was Kurumu. Tsukune felt something knaw away at his stomach, and he instantly knew what it was called: fear. Fear for himself, fear for Kurumu, but most of all fear for what might happen to Moka. Tsukune realized that he had to get out of the cell; then he could scour the grounds and find his two comrades. He unsteadily rose to his feet, realizing that he was still somewhat weak due to the fact that he hadn't gotten the opportunity to drink any blood yet. Tsukune pushed the thought to the back of his mind and started to examine the door. As he thought, the door was steel, and it was most likely built so that even the strongest vampire wouldn't be able to get out, but Tsukune knew that he had to at least try.

He placed both of his hands on the door, braced his legs against the ground, and started pushing. That was when Tsukune realized that something was wrong. Instead of the rush of inhuman strength he had felt during his (so far) brief stint as a vampire, Tsukune felt…what he was used to feeling in terms of strength.

In other words, he felt like the 150-pound weakling that he had been as a human.

Tsukune felt his stomach drop as he started to assess himself. Strength? Normal. Eyesight? Normal. Hearing? Normal? Sense of smell? Normal. Tsukune's stomach fell further and further from its rightful place as he went through the checklist of the things about him that had improved when he became a vampire and he found them normal. Tsukune sunk to his knees as the truth became more and more apparent: he was no longer a vampire.

He was human again. And he was utterly, utterly normal.

XXXXXXX

After what felt like hours, Tsukune heard what sounded like the door to his cell being opened. He looked up and confirmed that it was indeed opening. He made no attempt to get up, however; he knew that they were just going to do whatever they wanted to him anyway, and he couldn't fight back now that he was human. He wasn't surprised when his parents entered his cell; he had been expecting this. He just wished that Moka was here with him; for some reason, he always felt stronger around her.

"How do you feel Tsukune?" His mother asked in a worried tone of voice, like she actually cared.

"Fine." Tsukune grunted. His father frowned.

"Oh, come on, Tsukune, what did you think we were going to do? What would the public think if the next person in the lineage of the great Aono family had become a vampire? They would go crazy!" Tsukune's father coughed. "We were only doing what was best for the family." Tsukune wasn't interested in their excuses.

"How am I human again?" He asked. His parents exchanged glances.

"Well, Tsukune, truth be told, we have been working on this for quite some time." His mother started. "You see, the amount of people becoming vampires, whether it be through the Changers or some other means, was becoming intolerable, and has been for some time now. So, a little while ago your father and I started to develop a formula to turn vampires back to normal, if they were humans in the first place at least. Recently, we perfected it, but we had no test subjects. Then you made that rash decision and well… you know the rest." Tsukune made eye contact with his mother.

"So what you're saying is that you used me as a test subject?" Tsukune's father scoffed.

"Don't over-simplify things, Tsukune." Tsukune just put his head down again. Tsukune's father, either not knowing or not caring that his son had stopped listening, continued talking. "You know Tsukune, the only good thing about you running away was catching Moka; we've been after her for a long time, and-"

"WHAT DID YOU DO TO MOKA?" Tsukune suddenly shouted, rising to his feet as he became filled with energy and anger at the thought of Moka being hurt by anyone, much less his own family. His parents were startled by their son's outburst, not used to him being so forceful with anyone, much less them.

"We did what was necessary." Tsukune's father said, so startled he didn't even reprimand his son. "You can even go visit her if you really want, although I don't see why you would want-"

"Take me to her." Tsukune said, trying to control his anger and not letting his father continue. Tsukune's dad was left with his mouth open in mid-word, but his wife was quicker to recover.

"Alright, follow me." She said, exiting the room with Tsukune hot on her heels. Looking around, Tsukune noticed that the hallway was pretty much the same as the inside of his cell. As they walked down the hall, Tsukune also noticed the other doors.

_They actually put people in these things…_ Tsukune shuddered at the thought, and almost didn't see that his mom had stopped outside of a door that looked no different than the rest.

"Here we are." His mother said, reaching for the surprisingly ordinary handle on the door. She turned it, and Tsukune waited impatiently for enough of an opening to be revealed so that he could enter the cell. As soon as he could, Tsukune slipped inside, and what he saw chilled him to the bone. Apparently, Moka had been sleeping, as she was sitting up and rubbing her eyes… her green eyes. Not the red orbs that Tsukune had become used to. And her hair…it was a comforting pink rather than the stark silver that he had grown to know and trust. There was something else about her too. Instead of the aura of power that she normally emated, instead there was an aura of softness. She had a new accessory as well; a Rosario, attached to a belt, dangled from her neck.

It was Moka…but it wasn't at the same time.


	13. The only hope

I always thought that If Tsukune didn't pick Moka, it would be Kurumu, because she seems to genuinely care about Tsukune (don't worry, this is still a TsukunexMoka fic). I also think that Kurumu is smarter than she lets on, and I've always wanted to explore her a bit more, so she will be taking center stage next chapter. Just a heads up.

XXXXXXXXX

**CHAPTER 13**

**THE ONLY HOPE**

Tsukune was frozen as the new Moka finished rubbing her eyes and focused on her surroundings. She squinted as Tsukune filled her field of vision. She surprised the black-haired boy by leaping forward and all but tackling him.

"Tsukune!" She exclaimed with a relived tone of voice. "You're here!"

"M-Moka?" Tsukune stuttered out, more surprised by his boss's new attitude than anything else. The pink-haired female rubbed her face into his chest as if to surround herself with the scent of the person she trusted.

"It was awful, Tsukune!" Moka wailed frantically. "They strapped me too a table…a-and they had water… and…" Moka stopped, as if the memory was too painful to continue with. Tsukune opened his mouth, ready to offer some comforting words, but his mother beat him to it.

"Awww… How sweet." Ms. Aono commented sarcastically, taking in the scene of one of her self-proclaimed mortal enemies getting up close and personal with her son. Tsukune felt Moka's grip on his back tighten as she realized that they were not alone.

_What did they do to Moka? _Tsukune wondered. The girl in front of him was nothing like his mentor; besides the obvious physical differences, Moka had been unable to detect Ms. Aono, while her presence would most likely have been glaringly obvious to the Moka with silver hair. Also, he was pretty sure that the silver-haired Moka would rather have been snapped in half than hug… well, anybody. Tsukune looked down at Moka, and his mind was made up. _No matter what happens, Moka is Moka _Tsukune thought decisively. _And this time, it's my turn to protect her._

Tsukune reached down and hoisted Moka into a standing position, her arms never stopping contact with his body. He turned and faced his mother, doing his best not to shake in fear, seeing as Moka had that part covered for him. "Mom," he started slowly so that his voice wouldn't crack. "What did you do to Moka?" His mother chuckled.

"You see that cross?" Ms. Aono asked, gesturing to the new piece of jewelry on Moka's neck. Tsukune nodded. "It's a standard piece of a vampire hunter's arsenal; that cross is a seal that locks up her vampire powers." Ms. Aono chuckled, as if she were remembering a joke. "Of course, it looks like the side effect emerged as well!" Ms. Aono made eye contact with her son, and, seeing the confusion in his eyes, continued speaking. "Sometimes, the sealing Rosario also unleashes a dormant part of the bound person's personality; apparently Moka was nothing special under all that bravado." Ms. Aono pivoted and made to leave the cell. "I'll leave you two be; your father and I have to deal with that other vampire we picked up." Tsukune made no move to leave, as he knew his mother wouldn't hesitate to use some of her world-renowned vampire fighting skills on him. The door closed, and Tsukune let his attention drift to Moka as his mothers words floated through his head.

This girl was part of Moka's personality? Was it really true?

XXXXXXX

"I hope you had a good time, Kurumu." Tsukune said in a suave voice to the blue-haired vampire. Tsukune was looking quite nice in his spotless black pants, crisp, clean white shirt, black tie, and freshly-pressed sport coat. His date looked just as impeccable, with her strapless figure-hugging black dress that ended at the knees and left very little to the imagination.

"I did, Tsukune." Kurumu responded in kind, glad to be the center of his attention. It was a special night for the two of them; a first date. Tsukune had taken her to the fanciest place in town, and had wasted no expense in making sure the night had gone swimmingly. Now, all that was left was the good night kiss, and Kurumu had to admit that she was looking forward to it. They gazed into each other's eyes, and suddenly Tsukune started to lean forward, ever so slowly. Kurumu followed his lead, and they grew closer, inch by inch, centimeter by centimeter, until…

_Poke Poke._ "Get up." _Poke Poke. _"I said get up!"

Kurumu blinked rapidly, her conscious mind struggling to come to terms with where she was and why her date had been cut short. Her vision cleared, and she found herself staring directly at a particularly uninteresting and disgusting-looking piece of stone ceiling. Her hands and feet were bound to the table that she was currently residing on; the same one that she had been put on when they had first arrived at this hellhole. She had been quick to realize she was human again, and she had instantly started panicking. After she had calmed down, Kurumu started to brainstorm ways to get off of the table. The only way that she could think of was to seduce the guard that was watching her with an unblinking eye; she vaguely recognized him from one of her adventures. So, seeing no other options, Kurumu decided to get some shut-eye while she could. Besides her anger at being woken up before the best part of her dream could happen, Kurumu was actually quite happy that the guard was as simple-minded as she thought he was.

"What do you want?" Kurumu asked, trying to come off as naïve and harmless as possible. The guard took the bait.

"Let's do it." The guard said, his tone of voice indicating he wasn't going to take no for an answer. Kurumu inwardly rolled her eyes.

"Okay." She said, still putting up an innocent front. "But can you at least undo my hands first? I'm not very comfortable…" The guard grunted.

"You don't need your hands for sex." Kurumu gave him her practiced seduction smile.

"That's what you think." The guard blushed, and quickly set upon removing her right hand. Once it had been freed, Kurumu thanked him by delivering a quick punch to his nose and following up with a blow that hit _just _the right pressure point to knock the guard unconscious. After the guard fell to the floor, Kurumu made short work of the rest of the bindings and wasted no time in swinging her legs off the table, followed shortly by the rest of her body. She stood and considered her options: she was almost certain that Tsukune and Moka were somewhere in the building; but it would be so much easier just to find a way to leave by herself. Kurumu glanced at the door. She knew she didn't have a choice.

She was going to have to rescue her friends.

XXXXXXXX

I'm just going to come out and say it: I had way too much fun writing Kurumu's dream sequence. However, my OTP is still TsukunexMoka! But it does give me some good ideas for Mornings… Aside from that, I'm not too happy with Kurumu's escape, but I couldn't think of a better one. If somebody has an idea, I can re-do the chapter and make it better. So, anyone?


	14. Another ally

Don't you hate it when teachers pile mounds of homework on you right before a break? I know that I do, and I suspect you all do as well. To make up for it, I will give you a Holiday present: I am going to update every one of my stories that need updating through the next week. You can quote me on that. But, for Mornings… please answer my profile poll, because it makes my life that much easier. Thank you!

**CHAPTER 14**

**ANOTHER ALLY**

Kurumu cracked the door open, peeking out into the hallway to make sure no one was there. She glanced both ways and was about to step out into the open before stopping with her foot in mid-air. She pivoted and went over to the unconscious guard. Kneeling, Kurumu patted him down until she found what she was looking for. Reaching into his pocket, she extracted a key ring. _You never know when it will come in handy _she thought to herself as she left.

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"Damn!" Kurumu whispered as she opened another door and saw that the room was empty. It was the fifth one that she had tried, and while she realized that five was a relatively low number, Kurumu was running out of time. The guard could be discovered at any moment, and since she was (somehow) human again, she wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight if someone spotted her. But, there was nothing else that she could do, so Kurumu just kept going down the hallway, checking the rooms as she went. Luckily, there were only a few left, so all she had to do was –

"Damn Aono's." A disgruntled voice cut through the stagnant air like a knife, sending Kurumu's heart into overdrive and shivers down her spine. Even without enhanced hearing, she could hear the guard shuffling ever closer towards her position. Kurumu whipped her head from side-to-side, trying to see if there was somewhere she could hide. "Think they're so cool just because they've killed a few vampires." He grumbled. Kurumu gritted her teeth as she realized that the only place to hide…. would be inside the cell. Kurumu checked the hallway once more, hoping there was somewhere else. However, with the footsteps drawing ever closer and no other options presenting themselves, Kurumu quickly slipped a key into the lock and slipped inside the cell.

Kurumu put her ear up to the door, listening intently for the guard to pass. Se released a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding when the footsteps receded down the hallway, but fell silent when she heard a small sound from the far corner of the cell. Kurumu listened, and she realized that someone was quietly sobbing. There was no light, so Kurumu couldn't see what was going on, but it sounded like a little girl. "Hello?" Kurumu called out. The sobbing stopped, but there was the distinctive sound of sniffling before Kurumu heard a reply.

"W-who's there?" The warble in the young-sounding voice was a clear indicator that the person was scared. Kurumu realized that she would need to make whoever was there aware that she didn't mean any harm.

"It's okay," Kurumu said as she started feeling her way around the cell, unable to see due to the lack of any sort of light whatsoever. "I'm not going to hurt you."

"That's what they all say" Came the angry response. "Next thing you know, they're pulling you out of bed and drugging you, and you wake up in a jail cell." Kurumu paused. Who would do such a horrible thing? And why? Suddenly, Kurumu felt her foot brush up against something and someone let out a gasp. Kurumu kneeled down and groped around until she felt herself grab onto someone. It felt like a little girl.

Kurumu could feel the girl's muscles tensing up under her hand, most likely out of fear, and somewhere, deep inside of her, a motherly instinct flared up. How _dare_ these people hurt an innocent little girl? What had she ever done to deserve their scorn? In an instant, Kurumu knew that she would have to help this girl. "What's your name?" Kurumu asked softly, hoping to ease some of the girl's fears.

"Wouldn't you like to know?" Was the snippy reply. Kurumu felt a hint of irritation at the defiance.

"Hey! I'm only trying to help!" Kurumu defended.

"I can do just fine by myself, thank you very much!"

"That's not what it sounded like a minute ago." The girl had no reply to that.

"Fine." Kurumu felt herself smile against her will as the girl conceded to the fact she needed help. Kurumu slowly stood up, keeping her hand on the girls shoulder.

"Come on. Let's get out of here." Kurumu guided her new companion to the door, and, after making sure the coast was clear, stepped into the hallway. She turned and helped her new friend into the light. As the girl stepped into the hallway rubbing her eyes, Kurumu was able to get a good look at her. The girl had short night-black hair that fell to her neck, and soft purple eyes. Her clothes were a pair of tattered pajamas, which made sense since she had mentioned being kidnapped in the middle of the night. She couldn't have been more than eleven years old. Kurumu got the nagging feeling that she had seen her somewhere before…

"What's your name?" Kurumu asked when the girl stopped rubbing her eyes. The kid looked up, and Kurumu noticed how red her eyes were. _She must have been crying for a really long time. _

"Yukari Sendo." The girl said. Kurumu's eyes widened.

"Now I remember where I know you from!" Kurumu whisper-shouted. "Your mom is a pro-vampire governor, isn't she?" Yukari nodded. "But, wait… what are you doing here then?" Yukari suddenly turned sheepish, turning her attention to the floor.

"Mom and the Aono's have been on bad terms for a long time; they keep telling her to stop supporting vampires or something bad will happen. But she kept saying no, she wouldn't give in. The next thing I know, I was taken from my bed and put in this cell." She explained.

Kurumu was shocked silent as the implications of what Yukari was saying sunk in. "You...you mean…you were kidnapped by the Aono's?"

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I realize that Yukari is OOC. It was on purpose; I mean, come on, wouldn't you be freaked out if you were 11 and taken from your parents in the middle of the night?


	15. Out of the frying pan

Getting sick of the Aono dungeon, so they're finally leaving. Also, new poll on my profile! Please answer. Enjoy!

**CHAPTER 15**

**OUT OF THE FRYING PAN…**

Kurumu frantically scanned the doors for any distinguishing marks on the doors as she escorted Yukari through the hallways, doing her best to keep her mind clear and focused. It wasn't easy, especially when there were so many unanswered questions (Why did the Aono's kidnap the daughter of a governor?). Time was running out, and she still hadn't found Tsukune and Moka. She had checked door after door, coming up fruitless every time. Who the hell had so many cells in one house?

Yukari looked on as her blue-haired rescuer closed yet another door. "Why haven't we left yet?" She asked. "The longer we stay here, the better chance we have of getting caught." Kurumu glanced at her, then continued to the next door.

"We're looking for my friends." She snapped, shoving the key into the keyhole.

"Who?" Kurumu didn't answer, but instead opened the door and glanced inside. It was obvious that this room was different immediately. For starters, the light was on. Secondly, there were two people in the room, and when Kurumu saw Tsukune's messy shock of raven-black hair, she sighed in relief, hoping that they could finally leave this hellhole. But, on a double take there was something glaringly wrong. Namely how Moka had pink hair. And green eyes. And how she was draped over Tsukune like a sheet on a mattress.

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15 MINUTES EARLIER…

Tsukune stared at Moka, and she stared right back. Both were trying to find the words to start a conversation, but none would come. The silence was deafeningly loud, and Tsukune once again found himself curing his parents for putting him in such a situation. Finally, Moka spoke up. "It's not you're fault."

Tsukune didn't get it. "What?"

"It's not you're fault." Moka repeated. "I can tell what you're thinking, Tsukune. You're like an open book. I know you think this is your fault, but it's not."

"Of course it is!" Tsukune argued. "If I had never become a vampire, they would never have found you or Kurumu, and you'd be free and nobody would be in trouble."

"They would have found both Kurumu and I eventually." Moka replied with a dry laugh. "It's a miracle we lasted as long as we did. So believe me when I say that it's not your fault." Tsukune had no response, but he knew she was right. If he of all people had been able to find her, then it would have been child's play for his parents to do the same. Truthfully, Tsukune was relived that Moka didn't blame him, but it was still his responsibility to get them out of the prison. First things first: he had to know how much of help Moka would be.

"Listen, Moka," Tsukune started. "I grew up in this house; I'm sure I can find a way out if we can get to the main house." Moka's eyes lit up, and Tsukune found himself filling with confidence in spite of himself. "But I need to know: what can you do?" At Moka's confused look, Tsukune explained. "I mean, do you still have any of your vampire powers?"

Moka shook her head no, and Tsukune's spirits fell- he was hoping that maybe the seal was malfunctioning and Moka would be able to break down the door. Without her help, Tsukune was at a loss.

Moka sniffed the air. "Tsukune, this seal takes away my powers." Moka said, pointing at her chest. Tsukune blushed, but Moka didn't notice. "But even though my powers are gone, I'm still hungry." Tsukune stared blankly.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, I'm still a vampire…" Moka hesitated, unsure of how Tsukune would react. She decided to just go for it. "You smell nice, and I was just wondering…can I suck your blood?" Moka looked away, embarrassed by her request. _I should be able to keep my appetite in check! _She scolded herself. _Now he probably thinks I'm a crazy monster!_

"Sure." Moka blinked once. Twice. Slowly, she turned her head towards her apprentice. Tsukune had a calm expression on his face. "I don't mind if you drink my blood."

Moka was silent for a moment, then tackled Tsukune in a hug. "Oh, thankyouthankyouthankyou!" She happily cheered, diving for Tsukune's neck as he tried to regain control of the situation.

"Ack, Moka, wait! Hold on! No-stop! Ah! You can't put your hand there!" The struggling was cut short by a scrabbling of the lock. Both of them froze and looked towards the door, expecting the worst and hoping for the best. The door opened and it was a shock to see Kurumu and a young girl standing there.

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Kurumu just stared at Moka and Tsukune, not sure if what else to do. Yukari stared as well, but for an entirely different reason. Her mouth dropped, and her eyes widened in shock. "Wow…" she whispered, awe-struck. Yukari couldn't take her eyes off of the most beautiful girl she had ever seen in her life. She took one step into the room, then broke into a run and hopped onto the couple splayed on the floor.

Moka let out a cry of surprise as Yukari latched onto her. Yukari shoved her head into Moka's breasts, and it took all of Tsukune's willpower to prevent him from passing out from a nosebleed. He sat there stunned as Yukari proclaimed that Moka was "The most beautiful girl in the world!"

Kurumu scurried over and wretched Yukari from Moka's chest. "What the hell happened?" She exclaimed, struggling to hold the squirming Yukari in her arms. "What happened to Moka, and why was she all over you?" Tsukune quickly summued up what his parents had told him, leaving out the part where the Aono's were his parents. He felt guilty about not telling her, but Tsukune figured that now was probably not the ideal time. Kurumu and Yukari (who had calmed down) listened intently.

"How did you get out of your cell?" Tsukune asked when he had finished his story. Kurumu told him of her escape and how she found Yukari.

"I have a set of keys." Kurumu said, holding up the ring of jangling metal. "If we an find the door out of here, it shouldn't be a problem." Tsukune nodded grimly, then looked to Moka who had gotten to her feet. The stared at each other.

"Lets go." She said. The group didn't need any more motivation. They scurried out of the cell in search of the way to freedom.


End file.
